Newly turbocharged, the RS5 is down on character but all ate up with torque.

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Kermit the Frog might have found it wasn't so easy being green, but this Sonoma Green Audi RS5 coupe had no such issues, stopping onlookers in their tracks, inviting conversations at gas stations, and generally garnering more than its fair share of admiring glances.

The subjective beauty of this green hue, however, stood in contrast to the second-generation RS5's subjective loss of character relative to its hugely capable predecessor. The previous RS5's persona belted forth from two big exhaust pipes, a staccato assault from the naturally aspirated 4.2-liter V-8 under the hood. That goose bumps–generating aluminum V-8 is now gone, and with it, pretty much all of the RS5's character. In its place sits a twin-turbocharged 2.9-liter V-6 whispering in a low but aggressive tone, a dull whirring sound with zero natural intake noise, though some uninspired fakery is generated by a noise maker in the dash.

So where does this leave the RS5? More capable than before, at least based on the hard data, yet less involving. Thanks to the 2.9-liter V-6's 443 lb-ft of peak torque—126 lb-ft greater than the old V-8's, delivered 2100 rpm lower in the rev range—the new RS5 is so much quicker than its predecessor that its speaking voice almost doesn't matter. (Nor does the V-6's 6-hp deficit relative to the 450-hp V-8.) The 2018 RS5 is nearly a full second quicker to 60 mph, reaching the milestone in 3.5 seconds. Given that the 37-pound weight difference between this coupe and the previous model is negligible, credit for that feat largely goes to the engine.

The downside of reaching highway speeds sooner than before is that the RS5 driver has more time to contemplate the car's absence of sizzle once he's settled into a cruise. The Audi goes about its other dynamic business stoically, like an A4 sedan whose responses have been cranked up without stripping them of their buttery refinement. This everyday friendliness extends to the RS5's comfortable ride, which doesn't change much whether the Comfort, Auto, or Dynamic drive mode (or some combination of the three, with the driver-configurable Individual setting) is selected. Only the Mercedes-AMG C63 comes close to matching the Audi's comfort.

A conventional eight-speed automatic transmission completes the RS5's transformation to ultrabrisk commuter, matching the turbo engine's liquid thrust with uncanny smoothness and fuss-free gear selection. This change is for the better: Had Audi kept the previous RS5's sometimes-jerky dual-clutch automatic, which was capable of more frenetic behavior in its Dynamic setting, it would have felt out of place in this highly polished machine.

Once again using Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system and a torque-vectoring rear differential, the RS5 continues to put up impressive handling metrics. Riding on optional 20-inch tires, the Audi circled our skidpad as if rails were holding its two-ton mass on the line, recording 0.95 g of lateral grip with a complete absence of drama.

So stable and grippy is the RS5 that one could steer it through a slalom course wearing concrete-filled shoes and oven mitts and still look smooth. Piloting the Audi along a challenging road at speed, the driver need only concentrate on where to point the thing, not how to balance the chassis on the edge of adhesion. Should you exhaust the tires' grip, the RS5 responds with gentle understeer. Roll lazily into a corner and boot the throttle to feel the trick rear diff tighten the RS5's arc—it's a little eerie at first. The rawer, rear-drive BMW M4 and the Mercedes-AMG C63 are much more demanding of the driver's attention when the mist turns red.

There is, however, some driver involvement where there needn't be, namely our test car's $1150 variable-ratio Dynamic Steering option. The steering in the Comfort and Auto drive modes is unpredictable, the ratio constantly changing depending on your speed. In the Dynamic setting, the steering locks into a fixed ratio that's much more confidence inspiring. But unless you spend all your time in that mode, the workaround is to set up the Individual parameters to include the Dynamic steering setting and whichever suspension, throttle, engine-sound, and rear-differential behaviors you prefer.

Surprisingly, you can find similar flexibility in the RS5's interior. This is a two-door coupe that's quite useful at ferrying people, stuff, or both. The upright greenhouse affords even the two rear-seat passengers plenty of headroom to go along with their decent legroom and shoulder room. The rear seatbacks are split 40/20/40 and fold nearly flat to reveal a large pass-through to the trunk. Is it as practical as the four-door RS5 Sportback that shares this coupe's running gear? No, but you could make a reasonable Ikea run without needing to rent something more spacious.

Uneventful handling, a comfortable ride, and a useful interior are attributes one might expect to associate with a mid-size crossover. On a fast two-door coupe such as the RS5, they draw a line in the sand between the Audi and its more single-focused competitors. BMW's M4 coupe is harsh and visceral and nowhere close to matching the RS5's smoothness. The Mercedes-AMG C63 not only packs 59 more horsepower from a bawdy V-8, it does a better job managing its dual personality, acting like a traditional Mercedes when the driver is calm and transforming into a tire-eviscerating hooligan when the driver isn't.

The Audi, for its part, slips quietly into daily traffic without raising too much attention from bystanders or even its driver, at least provided you don't purchase the Sonoma Green paint. Pricing starts at $73,475 before adding must-have options such as the $6000 Dynamic Plus package and its carbon-ceramic front brake rotors and higher 174-mph top speed governor; the $3350 Dynamic package and its RS Sport Exhaust and RS Sport Suspension with electronically adaptive dampers; and the $2500 20-inch machine-face wheels. Less useful options such as the $1150 Dynamic Steering, $950 Bang & Olufsen audio system, $1500 Nappa Leather package, $1500 Black Optic exterior trim kit, and that $575 Sonoma Green paint bloated our test car's bottom line to $91,000. That figure is uncomfortably close to base-model Porsche 911 territory. While the heavier, more upright Audi can hang with the lighter, lower-slung Porsche in terms of performance, it does so on the back of an unexciting turbocharged engine and without the scintillating personality one expects in such a coupe. But damn does this thing look good in green.